Road to Sakura
by mistressinwaiting
Summary: The memory of her promising Ino not to fight Hinata after their academy days distinctly dances in her mind, but it looks as though she won't be able to keep that promise, after all. She will be settling this old score once and for all.
1. Protect

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**notes: **Okay, so this is my 51st fanfic, my 39th about _Naruto _give or take. I know I have a whole bunch of _Naruto_ fanfics to continue and finish, but I really am stressed out right now. I needed this to vent and try out different writing styles. Yes, this is named after the episode about Sakura because this story is inspired by that episode. Also, this is in the format of my _Top Girl_ story and, for those who have read that story, yes, this story's plot has not been thought out yet and so will be like _Top Girl_ in the sense that the story will take unexpected turns. Enjoy!  
**notes 2:** The lyrics in the beginning are from Taylor Swift's _Safe and Sound._

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Road to Sakura

_"Don't you dare look out your window darling_  
_Everything's on fire"_

"Our third line of defense has..."

Even though the shinobi reporting couldn't bring himself to finish the report, Fourth Hokage Haruno Kizashi already knows what has happened. "I see..." his reply is solemn, mourning for the lives lost. It is time that he joins in the fight to protect his home village. He knows his wife will follow him into battle, and so the only regret he has is the little pink-haired girl running towards him now.

Sakura is barely four and doesn't understand what is going on, why there is fire engulfing people's homes, and why people were screaming outside. Haruno Kizashi regrets that he was unable to keep his daughter away from this cruel reality, and he regrets that he won't be able to see the wonderful lady his daughter will become.

Sakura doesn't understand it when her father kneels in front of her. She doesn't understand it when her father takes off the pendant he has never taken off before and gives it to her. She only understands it when he asks her, "Can you keep this safe for me until your mother and I come back?" But even then, she doesn't completely understand the circumstances around her.

Sakura doesn't understand it when her mother hugs her tightly as if holding on to dear life. She doesn't understand it when her mother kisses her forehead and cries while doing so. And she only understands Mebuki's "I love you, Sakura, so much" as her cue to say "I love you, too, Mommy." She doesn't understand why her mother adds on a "Don't forget that."

And so, when Sakura meekly waves goodbye to her parents as they leave the room, she doesn't realize that they won't be coming home anymore.

_"Just close your eyes_  
_The sun is going down_  
_You'll be alright_  
_No one can hurt you now"_


	2. Mourn

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary of chapter 1: **"Can you keep this safe for me until your mother and I come back?" Sakura doesn't realize that her parents won't be coming home anymore.  
**summary of chapter 2: **Because she was the Hokage's daughter, she was all alone now. She cried when no one was looking.  
**notes: **I would like to clarify something before I continue this story. The world in which this story is taking place in is NOT the genjutsu from _Road to Ninja_. This world is BASED on that genjutsu, just as this story is inspired by _RTN_. Futhermore, the characters, though they will have some characteristics from the movie, will basically be the same characters we know and love. I'm taking philosophy from _Tsubasa Chronicles_ when I say that characters in different world may have grown up in different settings and histories but are still fundamentally the same in the very inner workings of the mind. For example, Hinata. In the _Naruto_ world, she is shy and very unconfident to a fault. In _RTN_, she is almost too outgoing and overconfident to a fault. Though she contrasts greatly in the two worlds, I believe she is still basically very unsure of herself which is why in _Naruto_ she is very meek and why in _RTN_ she puts on such a tough girl act. Same thing with Sasuke. Though he is a playboy in _RTN_, let's not forget that he had girls swooning over him in the original world as well. He may be a lot more talkative, but he'll still say "Hn" when he can't think of anything to say and his relationship with Naruto will still be the some brotherly love. With Chouji and Shikamaru, I don't think they're _not_ the best of friends in _RTN_; they just show their care through hotheaded words and punches, kinda of how Sasuke and Naruto are in the original world. Also, with Neji and Lee being perverts in _RTN_, that is only because Gai in _RTN_ is the one reading _Make-Out Paradise_ and not Kakashi. It is easy to see that Neji and Lee are going to be influenced by this because they both (no matter how much Neji will deny it) in the original world draw upon whatever their sensei teaches them. This will pretty much be the basis for the world in this story, for _RTN_'s genjutsu world is based on both Naruto and Sakura's desires while this world is total alternative universe. Thank you for reading this long note of mine.  
**notes 2:** Another pet peeve of mine in _some_ _RTN_ fanfics is that Itachi _hates_ Sasuke. NO! NO! NO! Itachi will still very much be the _doting_ and _loving_ brother as he was in the original! He may not be Akatsuki or the prodigy anymore, but he is _still_ Uchiha Itachi! And _nothing_ will change that!  
**notes 3:** With that all said, I hope you all will stick around to see the changes I made to these wonderful characters and their histories! Enjoy!  
**notes 4:** The lyrics are from Tiffany's _Na Honjasa_ or rather _By Myself_.

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Road to Sakura

_"Please, just pass by pretending like you don't see me  
Please, don't even give me a glance"_

Even months after the funeral, even after her first birthday without her mother and father, four-year old Sakura could not find it in herself to not call for her parents whenever she arrives home from wherever she goes. It was hard for her. The villagers wouldn't allow her a time of peace, always giving her their condolences and never letting her forget for even a _second_ that her parents were gone. It was worse when she got home. Her parents, when they were alive, had been busy with work at the Hokage Mansion, yes, but they _always_ made it a point to have one of them wait at home for her. She was never lonely like that. But now, who was there to welcome her home? Who would be there with a smile and kiss her on her forehead?

The worst, however, was at night. She would lay awake for _hours_ at a time. When she tossed and turned, her eyes always ended up staring at the picture of her mother and father on the nightstand. And every time, she would lay the frame on its face so that she wouldn't be tempted to cry every time she saw the image of the past happier days. But then, hours later, when she would wake up from a nightmare, she would scream and yell and wail. Her eyes darted to the door, always waiting for either Mommy or Daddy to come in and take her in their arms. But when she would calm down and remember why they weren't coming, Sakura would always flip the picture frame over and stare at it once again, not wanting to forget how her parents looked, for her nightmares would always be of her parents walking away from her and of her never seeing their faces. The cycle would continue until dawn and resume the next night.

School was horrid. Her classmates didn't understand what it meant to be alone like she was. Even though they gave their words of pity, they were only sad because they had lost their Hokage and not because Sakura had lost her parents. They didn't realize how much they hurt her, and so they always spoke to her as if her parents weren't people but just figureheads. Sakura was always hurt by those words, but she couldn't break down. She was the daughter of the Hokage—the _late_ Hokage, she would remind herself. She had to set an example, an example of a fine Kunoichi in the making.

Some of her friendships suffered as well. At times, she would look upon Namikaze Naruto with a bitter taste in her mouth and a empty stare. At times, she would think, _If his father had been Hokage then I wouldn't have to be alone. I wouldn't be an orphan, and my parents would still be alive._ But then, she would regret those thoughts and regret how she looked at her friend, for she wouldn't dare wish her tragedy upon anyone else. But there were times when she slipped up, times like when she would accidentally bump into Naruto and not apologize and times like when she would accidentally aim a kunai at him. Iruka always thought her unusual slip-ups were because of her lack of sleep, but heiress Hyuga Hinata didn't think so. When it came down to it, Hinata knew exactly what Sakura was thinking because she was Sakura's best friend and, when she realized what Sakura thought, she ended their friendship right away because she loved and treasured Naruto more than she did of a friend who was slowly fading away.

That was what Hinata told Sakura, and that was enough for Sakura to finally snap out of her daze.

Sakura was the Hokage's daughter. She couldn't afford to screw up her family's good name, and she couldn't afford to be the bad example of a would-be kunoichi. She was the Hokage's daughter, and so she cried when no one was looking, trained until she couldn't stand anymore, and kept herself from falling apart. She was the Hokage's daughter, and so she had to be strong and be the person everyone admired and looked up to.

And because she was the Hokage's daughter, she was all alone now.

_"Though it hurts, though it will hurt, I'll never cry  
Because there is no such thing  
as farewell in my love"_


	3. Teams?

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **The Gods must have been laughing at them because Sakura _knew_ that not one of these teams was a good fit.  
**notes: **So! Apparently, this won't be as plotless as _Top Girl_ had been in the beginning. I actually have an outline of the next thirty or so chapters. I'm just debating whether or not I should make the _Shippuden_ arc a separate story or just continue it with this one. Hm... If I do put the Shippuden arc chapters in this story, it might become too long. Oh, well, we'll see how much you guys like this story first, okay?  
**notes 2:** Lyrics from ayumi hamasaki's _Evolution_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"Reality is a traitor  
It's easy to misjudge things"  
_

It was an understatement to say that Sakura was worried about her friend—hell, this was the _most_ she's worried in _years_! After all, Ino being on the same team as Akimichi Chouji and Nara Shikamaru is the equivalent of throwing the shy Yamanaka to a pack of wolves. If their constant bickering wasn't enough then their boyish tendency to fight out their arguements would have Ino at her wit's end before the end of the _day_! Just look at the previous generation! Their fathers, though the best of friends, had been put on the same team once long ago, and that had not gone so well. Sakura could remember the story of the team's epic failure—it was the one of the most well-known stories of the century!—and she could only hope that this Ino-Shika-Chou trio could survive past its first week.

It was the same for Team 8 except that it was the other way around. Sakura was worried about Nekozuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. Both boys were either too gentle or too awkward to be stuck with the strong-willed Hyuga heiress. The rosette could imagine (and very vividly, if she might add) the two being bullied by Hinata into doing whatever she wanted but, hopefully, their time with the tough and fierce heiress would teach both Kiba and Shino how to stand up for themselves.

But when Sakura heard who was to be in _her_ team, she blanched at the match! Exactly who had thought of _this_ team?

"Team 7!" Iruka had called. "Haruno Sakura, Namikaze Naruto—"

_Great..._ Sakura thought dejectedly. Over the years, though she had learned to cope with her crude thoughts toward the Namikaze family, Sakura still couldn't find it in herself to actually stay in the same room alone with Naruto for more than five _minutes_! And they were expected to _work together_ on _missions_? _And_ _just when I needed _more_ reasons for Hinata to hate me..._

"—and Uchiha Sasuke!"

_You have _got_ to be _kidding_! _Though she didn't know much about the boy, Sakura knew _enough_ to know that his whole fanclub was giving her a death glare. She could feel it as her eyebrow twitched out of annoyance.

She wondered what she did to deserve this. She had to admit, it _was_ a good team if thought of as the Fourth Hokage's daughter, the Yellow Flash's son, and the prodigy of the infamous Uchiha clan.

But Sakura couldn't help but look at the glass half empty. The less-than-willing kunoichi, the knucklehead ninja brat, and the most spoiled baby in their whole age group? _Together_? In one _team_?

The Gods must have been laughing at them because Sakura _knew_ that not one of these teams was a good fit. They would be lucky if they didn't die in their first training session! But to Sakura, failure was _not_ an option. She was the Fourth Hokage's daughter, dammit! And she'd be damned if she let those two dumbbells weigh her down.

_"It's true, isn't it?  
It seems as though we're headed for a new century.  
It's miraculous"_


	4. Introductions

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, and what I like most are challenges."  
**notes: **I got no reviews on the last chapter, aw! Do you guys not like the way this story is going? I need you guys to speak up!  
**notes 2:** Also, if you want a bit of comedy from the Haruno family, please read chapter 73 of my _It's funny when_. You'll enjoy it.  
**notes 3: **I don't really like how this chappie came out.  
**notes 4:** Lyrics from _Clannad_ ending _Dango Family_ or _Dango Daikazoku_

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Road to Sakura

_"The rabbit is trying to wave in the sky  
__The huge moon is rounding up everything,  
Happy things and sad things, too"_

Team 7 was the first to meet their sensei, a hot-blooded masked jounin who spoke very highly of youth.

Sakura did not like him. _At all_. And her dislike of him was greatly rivaled by the man's great taking to his new team.

"_Yosh_! Let's start with some introductions! I'll start," the jounin had said. "I'm Hatake Kakashi, and I'll be your instructor for as long as it takes for me to deem you ready to leave this genin team. Let's see, what I like is to . . . hm, actually, I haven't thought of that. Okay, moving on to dreams! My dream is to . . . actually, I didn't think of that either. As for my hobbies . . . I have lots of hobbies!"

In the end, the newly formed Team 7 didn't learn _anything_ at all about their sensei.

Naruto was next to give his intro while Sakura just didn't pay much heed to his words. She already knew him, him being very loud about what he liked (ramen) and what his dream was (to become the greatest Hokage). When he mentioned his dream once again, Sakura had to hold back her urge to snort. It wasn't as if he hadn't said it less than a thousand times before, after all...

_And who wanted to be Hokage? All that position called for was for someone to be a figurehead who had to abandon their loved ones any time this god-forsaken village was in trouble._

"But what I really like is spending time with my best friend Sasuke and our families!"

That had struck a chord with Sakura. Families? She would never understand what it meant to spend any more time with hers, and that hurt her the most.

And regardless of her strong façade, she found someone's hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," it was the Uchiha boy. "Are you okay? You seem tense."

Sakura only swatted his hand away. She was cautious of him because she knew he thought he could worm his way into her heart, just like he did with everyone else, with that crooked smile of his. But he couldn't pull the wool over her eyes. Sakura _knew_ that, despite his nice guy act, he was like all the others, trying to get her to break apart. And she was not going to allow him the satisfaction of reading her.

"Okay, now for the lady of our group," Kakashi said once Naruto was done.

Sakura couldn't wait for it to be over. "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like to study and learn new things. What I don't like is people constantly reminding me about what I've lost. And my dream . . . my dream is, to become stronger so that I can protect the people closest to me and not leave them behind."

Kakashi gave her a nod, signaling that her answer made him proud that she was going to be his student. "And lastly, Uchiha Sasuke."

"Well, since you know my name already, do I have to say it again?" the boy asked cheekily.

Sakura glanced at him distastefully. He was so _disrespectful_! And Kakashi was just going to let him get away with it?

Her urge to punch her new teammate square across his jaw only intensified when his eyes shifted towards her when he said, "And what I like most are challenges."

_"A big dango family_  
_The naughty fried dango, the kind red bean dango_  
_The moon-viewing dango that tends to dream a little_  
_And the prim sesame dango"_


	5. Test

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **"He showed us our families dying right in front of us, and we were helpless to do anything to stop it." "Well then, you should be thankful that it was only a genjutsu and that you get to return home to your parents' warm embrace."  
**notes: **Ok, as of now, I have 777 views on this story. Thank you, readers, for liking this story!  
**notes 2:** I know there's supposed to be another Naruto named Menma, but be patient, okay? He'll be appearing in the future sometime soon.  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from ayumi hamasaki's _About You_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"Where is the person  
Who could get what he wanted  
Without making any sacrifices?"_

There had been a graduation exam, much to the dismay of the newly formed Team 7, and it had seemed simple enough. Get the bells from Kakashi before noon or be sent back to the academy. Plus, it was first come, first served, for there were only two bells and three of them. And Sakura was determined that she would _not_ be the one to be sent back. The drive to prove herself wasn't just fueled by the fact that she was her father's child but also by the fact that she was the only kunoichi on the team. And she'd be damned if she let those two stupid boys win over her.

In the end, however, _none_ of them were able to any of the bells before the time limit was up.

"You know," Kakashi said after he had given them their failing grade, "Since I like you guys, I think I'll give you three a second chance."

"What?" Sakura was the one to question his decision. "Is that even _allowed_?"

"I'm the instructor here, and so what I say goes," was the jounin's simple answer. "Besides, out of all the teams I have trained, you three were the closest to actually getting the bells on your first try. But I have to say, I am disappointed in your unyouthful approaches." And one by one, Kakashi began pointing out each of his students' flaws. "Naruto, you were brash at first, charging at me blindly, but then you took up Sasuke's offer to work together to get the bells. I applaud you for your choice. However, you still were rash and brazen when it came to executing any of the plans you two thought of. Sasuke, though you were the one to come up with the idea of working together, you excluded Sakura, thinking that, since she was a girl, she would weigh you and Naruto down. And when it came down to it, Sakura was the one to release both you and Naruto from my genjutsu. You started out strong but ended up in a terrible fall when you suggested to Naruto that you both steal the lunches while I was busy fending off your female teammate. And you, Haruno Sakura, your attempt was the _most_ disheartening out of _all_ of them. You decided even before the test had started that you were going to work by yourself in this. Even when you saw Naruto and Sasuke fall prey to my genjutsu, you hesitated on whether or not you would free them. I expected more from the daughter of the Fourth Hokage. You need to learn that doing things by yourself may not always get you places. It's true that you graduated at the top of your age group, but your pride will be your downfall if you don't learn to ask for help every once in a while. And with that said,"—he threw Sakura the two obento lunches, for Sasuke and Naruto were tied back to back to each other—"I'll let you guys think about what I have said and what you can do to improve yourselves before your second chance starts. Oh, and Sakura, don't feed either one of the boys or I'll fail you." And with that, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Here."

Both Sasuke and Naruto were surprised when their teammate handed them a lunch box.

"You two aren't going to be of much help to me if you're not up to full strength just because you're too hungry to walk. Take it."

"But . . . Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei will fail you if he finds out you're doing this," Naruto pointed out.

"_So_?" Sakura asked. "Didn't you hear how he praised you guys for working together and scolded me for doing things by myself? He _wants_ us to all work together because good teamwork makes a great team."

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto was close to tears, this being the first time in years that Sakura was this nice to him—he had thought she didn't see him as a friend anymore—while Sasuke just smirked.

"Now here, eat."

"Oh, we would if we could," the Uchiha said, the smirk still on his face. "But as you can plainly see, we're tied up at the moment. And if you untie us then Kakashi will get even more suspicious."

"He's right, Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. "You'll have to feed us!"

The kunoichi groaned. _That Uchiha_ planned_ this! _"_Fine_! But only just this _once_, you two got that?"

Twin Cheshire Cat grins blossomed on both boys' faces as they vigourously nodded their heads.

"By the way," Sakura said as she picked up a piece of tempura shrimp with her chopsticks and placed it right in front of Naruto. "What _did_ Kakashi show you two in the genjutsu that almost had you both _crying_?" She said the last word with contempt, for she had thought boys didn't cry. The genjutsu must have been something to have gotten both Naruto and Sasuke close to tears.

"He showed us our families dying right in front of us," Sasuke said as Naruto ate the shrimp in one bite. It was the first time Sakura had ever seen Sasuke this grim before. "And we were helpless to do anything to stop it."

". . . Oh," was the only thing Sakura could thing of to say. "I see..." She picked up another tempura shrimp and gave it to the Uchiha. "That's too bad..."

"It was so _scary_, Sakura-chan!" Naruto wailed. "My mom and dad's unmoving bodies, and Sasuke's family's bodies . . . I can't even get the image out of my head! Was it like this for you when they told you your parents were dead?"

"_Dobe_!" Sasuke reprimanded Naruto by kicking the blonde's leg once he saw how Sakura's lip set themselves into a firm line. "Why would you even ask her that?"

"It's just common curiosity, Teme!" Naruto yelled. "_Nee_, Sakura-chan, come on, tell us. I know you may act tough and everything, but even _you_ have your weak moments. How did you feel when you realized your parents were gone?"

_Common curiosity, huh?_ She scoffed, her hands tightening around the chopsticks she held. _Naruto, you really are trying to ruin me, aren't you?_ She bit the insides of her mouth before her lips rearranged themselves into a cruel smile. "Let's just say that you should be thankful that it was only a genjutsu," she told him. "And that you should be grateful that you get to return home to your parents' warm embrace."

_"You see?  
You have the thing which I long for  
Which I had lost and will never get again  
However strongly I wish for it"  
_


	6. Stubborn

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **"If you don't want any future problems then I suggest to you that you teach him some manners! If he says something to me like that again, I won't hold back and you better not hold it against me if I do something terrible to him!"  
**notes: **Ok, I think I made Sakura a bit too mean in this chapter, but Sasuke caught her at a bad time so yeah... Not really my favorite chapter to write...  
**notes 2:** For the guest reviewer who asked wtf about Sakura's behavoir towards Naruto, 1) please never use "wtf" in your reviews again because I find that really rude and 2) Sakura is still feeling very raw about her parents' deaths and hasn't gotten over it completely yet. She's still in the stage of finding someone or something to blame and, to bad for Naruto, she blames him and his family. At first, she tried to hold back because of their friendship and because of her friendship with Hinata. But because Hinata had broken off from her, Sakura really has nothing to hold her back from outright hating Naruto, and that's what the story will explore in the Zabuza arc, how Sakura will right her feelings and friendship with Naruto. Okay?  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from SNSD's _The Boys_ (I changed the ending lyrics a bit to match, though...)

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Road to Sakura

_"The entire world is focusing on you  
You are majestic and strong  
You were always cool"_

When the kunai hits the red center of the target, another follows shortly behind it, knocking the first out of its place and leaving another dent in the wooden post. A third kunai follows suit but, even when that hits dead center, Sakura still isn't pleased. She has run three laps through the training grounds, did her warm-up exercises three times, and worked on her taijutsu. Everything she did had been done perfectly, but Sakura finds herself still worked up as she falls onto her knees and punches the ground. And as she hits the same spot over and over again, she ends up creating a small hole.

"_Argh_! I'm a big girl now!" she yells at herself. "I shouldn't be bothered by such a simple question! Why the Hell...! _Ugh_!" Even after Kakashi had passed them, Sakura's mind could not go onto its celebratory mood. Naruto's question haunted every corner of her mind.

_"How did you feel when you realized your parents were gone?"_

"How did I feel...?" she scoffs. She had never thought of that before. How did she feel when she had found out? She couldn't remember, really. She just remembered when and how it happened. Just a little bit after the threat had been eliminated, how Namikaze Minato had told her the news, how she had screamed at him for lying to her, how she blamed him for not protecting his Hokage... But when she had saw her parents' cold and unmoving bodies, her heart had stopped and fallen. Time seemed to have stopped. "It was cold and unfair..." she says to herself and, for the first time in years, she lets a tear run down her cheek. "Why did my parents have to die? Why did they leave me alone? _How_ could they just leave me? Why? Why? It just isn't _fair_!" And she punches the ground as hard as she possibly could, her knuckles bleeding on impact.

"So this is where you were..."

She jumps when she hears the voice. "Why are _you_ here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Sasuke says, "The way you jumped just now almost had me thinking you saw a ghost or something."

"Only idiots believe in things like ghosts," she snaps. Had he followed her?

"Anyway, I came here to apologize for Naruto's rude behavior earlier today," the Uchiha explains, looking away from her. If Sakura had looked closer, she would have seen that his face was a bit pink. "It was wrong for him to ask you something like that, but he's a totally idiot and probably doesn't even realize how wrong it was of him. For that . . . I'm sorry."

"Of course," she gives him a smirk. "How can I _not_ forgive him after his best friend has to come explain the situation to me? Of course, I'll accept your apology. After all, it must be hard being friends with a moron like him, always weighing you down like the burden he is."

"Take that back."

But Sakura only laughs, this being the first time she's ever seen Sasuke angry. "Why should I? At first, I was really mad at him, him being the reason his father didn't take the position of Hokage. If his father had then my father wouldn't be dead in the first place. I was really jealous of him, up to the point where my jealousy would become a bitter hatred, but now I see how stupid I was. His parents have raised a total _idiot_! How dare he rub it in my face that my parents are gone! If you don't want any future problems then I suggest to you that you teach him some manners! If he says something to me like that again, I won't hold back and you better not hold it against me if I do something terrible to him!"

"You're the one who needs manners!" Sasuke yells back. "How could you be so mean? You can't blame your parents' deaths on him like that! The invasion and your parents' deaths didn't happen because of him or his parents! Your parents chose their path! Don't pin it on Naruto if they chose to leave you behind!"

Without even thinking, Sakura had already thrown a kunai at him. "Don't you _dare_ talk about my parents that way! What parent would leave their child behind willingly?"

"Exactly! If you know that then why can't you understand Minato-san's reasoning to not take the Hokage position?"

Sakura narrows her eyes. The horrid brat! What gives him the right to talk to her like that? "Go home," she demands of him. "I don't want to talk to you any longer."

"Stop acting like a spoiled brat!"

"_Spoiled_?" she asks in disbelief. "Live by yourself for nine years, trying to earn enough money to support yourself, and then you tell me if I'm spoiled! You think you're so beloved by everyone... Well, I'll tell you this: everyone sucks up to you because you're the Uchiha heir! Nothing's wrong with your life, and you come from a powerful clan. It's no wonder Naruto is your best friend. He's the only one _stupid_ enough to actually _like_ you!"

"Not everyone's nice to me because of my background!" Sasuke yells, not even realizing what Sakura had goaded him into. "And I'll prove it to you!"

"Fine then! When you find that someone even _dumber_ than Naruto then you come find me, but I'll bet you that _no one_ would be foolish enough to like you for yourself especially when you act like this, calling out people's faults. No one in their right mind would like you!"

And so the battle rages, and the war only just begins between the two, neither one knowing where it would take them.

_"Don't be shaken and just protect your place  
We are all humans living a war-like life  
__Show me your tenacity, shake the earth  
So that everyone can see you  
History will be written anew"_


	7. Troublemaking

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **Neither of them were backing down. Bring it on.  
**notes: **So, anyway, I _might_ be taking a short break from fanfiction writing to re-watch some of the _Naruto_ anime. The last time I watched any of the earlier episodes was, like, three years ago or something like that, and so I'm a bit rusty with some things. So far, so good, but I'm not going to take any chances. Plus, it'll be good "research" for my _Two Beats and A Red Sin_ fanfic. But then again, I might get lazy and _not_ watch any of the episodes. Who knows?  
**notes 2:** So, yeah, last chapter you saw the fight between Sasuke and Sakura, and so you guys have probably figured it out that Sasuke will probably become a playboy because of that. But it's not going to be very soon as of yet, okay? You guys have gotta wait, just a _bit_ longer. And this chapter is a bit lighter than the last one, okay? There's also a little twist at the end of this. (Hint, hint: See if you can remember who Kaiza is. Wink, wink.) I don't really like this chapter...  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from Hyun-Ah and Hyun-Seung's _Trouble Maker_ (I had a hard time choosing lyrics for this chapter, so don't complain please if the lyrics kinda don't match the chapter)

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"When I look into your eyes,  
I'm a Trouble Maker  
When I stand next to you,  
I'm a Trouble Maker"_

Team 7 wasn't as bad as Sakura had intially thought they'd be. Their teamwork, if not shabby, was actually very remarkable. There were just a few _tiny_ fights here and there, courtesy of the Haruno and Uchiha. And at times, those fights would lead to something going astray in their D-ranked missions, but the two were the top students in their grade, and so they were able to fix any of the problems before having the mission end in _complete_ failure.

And, thus, here they are, in front of the Third Hokage, recieving another mission.

"Well done, Team 7. Another successful mission. Now, your next duties are babysitting, helping with the harvest, and shopping in the—"

"No, No, and _No_ _Thank You_!" Naruto almost screams, throwing a little tantrum. And it is actually a good thing, too. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura could take anymore of those tedious missions, _especially_ not another Find-Tora mission. "I refuse to do _any_ of those! I want to do, you know, a more _incredible_ mission! Find us a better one!"

"Naruto, don't disrespect the Hokage like that!" Minato stands from his seat, appalled that his son could yell right in front of the village leader and his peers.

"Everyone starts off with simple duties and work their way up!" Iruka seconds the Namikaze's notion.

"Yeah, Dobe," Sasuke tells his friend. "You shouldn't say things like that."

Sakura only scoffs. "Suck-up," she mutters under her breath, loud enough so that Sasuke could hear. She is satisfied when she sees his eyebrow twitching.

"Give us a better mission!"

Sasuke and Sakura were too busy glaring at each other to notice just how far Naruto's arguement with his father and Iruka had actually gone.

"You know, Uchiha, I take back what I said a few days ago," Sakura says. "He's not a _total_ moron, actually. He's just _childish_." Her smile grows when Sasuke can find no words to counter hers.

"Okay. If you want it that much, I'll give you a C-ranked mission."

Ignoring their sensei's "_Yosh_! Naruto's spunk has won!", Sasuke and Sakura both wear faces of astonishment. _The idiot actually_ succeeded_ in doing something..._

"It's a protection mission of a certain individual."

And that certain individual walks in, a scar in the shape of a lop-sided X on his chin. "This is the perfect team, Hokage-sama," the man says, flashing a smile. "Though that short brat may seem to be a little trouble from what I heard from the other room."

Naruto, not knowing any better, only laughs at the man's accusation. "Haha! Who's the short brat who'll cause trouble?" He looks back and forth from his teammates, trying to see which of them is the shortest one. And he's only met with disappointment, Sakura giggling and Sasuke smirking at his ignorance. "I'LL _KILL_ YOU!"

"Ugh, Naruto, you can't kill the client," Minato says, facepalming, as Kakashi holds back the angry blonde ready to maul someone.

"My name is Kaiza form the Land of Waves," the man introduces himself, flexing a muscle before point a finger at the team. "And, until I get back to my country, I expect you four to provide me with super protection!"

Sakura smiles because, at the very least, she knows that this mission will not be boring, thanks to her knucklehead teammate and this strange client of theirs. And as she looks over to see Sasuke with a smirk, she knows that he is thinking the same exact thing.

When he finally looks at her, having felt her gaze on him for too long, she gives him an innocent smile before going back to staring straight ahead, her smile turning into a smirk. _You can get anyone to like you, huh? Well then, let's see what you've got. Before the end of this mission, I'll show you just how much I hate your haughty attitude._

And Sasuke seems to to know exactly what she's thinking. _Bring it on._

_"I'll keep being in front of you  
__so you can't forget me  
I'll keep shaking your heart  
so you can't escape me"_


	8. Ransom

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **The mission had become much more complicated.  
**notes: **You know how I said I'll be re-watching the _Naruto_ anime? Well, that never happened because I got lazy and ended up doing summer work. I had a hard time thinking of this chapter, but hopefully you guys will like it. I wanted to write out the battles scene with Zabuza, but I couldn't really think of much. It's boring but, if you guys have watched and read the original _Naruto_ story, I think you will like picking out all the things I changed. I made 6-8 changes, so have fun trying to find the differences! There's also some foreshadowing as to what I did to Haku's character! Try to guess that too!  
**notes 2:** Lyrics from SPICA's _Russian Roulette_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"I'll count to three and pull - bang bang bang  
It's time to test my luck, let it begin  
If you say you're not scared,  
__That's a lie - your heart is stopping"_

As Team 7 crosses the bridge to the flourishing Land of Waves, there is without a doubt in their mind that the mission had become much more complicated.

"Forgive me," their client apologizes the minute Kakashi finished explaining how missions were supposed to be categorized. Kaiza had not _really_ lied to them. The man really _did_ need an escort home. "I didn't realize the escort mission needed to be categorized under the rank of A because I didn't think that Gato would resort to hiring such dangerous shinobi to come after me."

"Who is Gato anyway?" Sakura asks. The battles from earlier in the day replay in her mind. The two Demon Sisters hadn't been _that_ big of a problem since Kakashi didn't even need to lift a finger to help his genin team as they punched and kicked (and, in one memorable moment, even flirted with (well, Sasuke had flirted with them, for who knew what reason)) the two female criminals. It is that man, Zabuza, who poses the real problem—it's present tense because Sakura does not believe that the female Hunter Nin had actually taken care of him as she said she did. There was something fishy with that Hunter Nin, and even Kakashi in all of his hot-headedness knew it.

"He's a business man—well, actually, he _used_ to be a business man," Kaiza explains. "You see, before we had built this bridge we're walking on right now, Gato used to be this shipping magnate who earned money from the people in the Land of Waves because his ships were the only way we could reach the mainland. But once my father-in-law, Tazuna, commissioned this bridge, Gato lost all of the business from my home country and went bankrupt."

"And so he's taking his anger out on your family by trying to get rid of you?" The way Sasuke had said it makes it more of a statement rather than a question.

"Actually, no, I think he just doesn't want me home because he knows I'll beat the crap out of him," Kaiza answers, throwing his arms behind his head nonchalantly. "Gato may have been a big business mogul but, when it all comes down to it, he's a great, big _coward_! And I intend to make sure he doesn't mess with my family again!"

"Why?" Naruto asks, not really understanding this man. "What did he do to your family besides sending men after you?"

_That's already_ enough_ reason..._ Sakura fights off an urge to facepalm but finds it hard to do so.

"He's holding my father-in-law captive." And suddenly, the mood stiffens and drastically changes. "And if I don't do as he says . . . well, I'm not sure what a coward like him will do, but he'll do . . . _something_."

"What does he want you to do in exchange for Tazuna's safety?" Kakashi is the one to ask this question.

"He wants me to tear down the No-Name Bridge."

_"Things like this are not a big deal to me  
When you said that painful hearts and words are meaningless now,  
It ripped apart my heart  
__Bang bang bang bang bang"_


	9. Important

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **"The world has hurt you too, hasn't it? And now you're afraid to open up to anyone else, lest you get hurt once again. You and I are similar creatures then."  
**notes: **Thank you, those who reviewed, those who favorited this story, and those who put this story on alert! Thank you so much for liking my story! I never thought this story would get that many followers.  
**notes 2: **Like I said, I made a change to Haku, so please don't write in your review "Haku is a boy," kay? Also, please don't ask for the chapters to be longer. If they're any longer, the updates won't come as frequent because I totally stink at updating longer chapters now.  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from ayumi hamasaki's _no way to say_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"The old wound left on me  
Begins to ache  
I hide my trembling heart again  
And pretend to smile"_

"Stay away from my teammates," Sakura says—no, _demands_ from the person walking past her. Sakura had not wanted to come to back to this forest. She _did_ complete her tree-walking with no trouble whatsoever on her first try, after all, and she would have been of more use scouting the area with Kakashi who was looking for places for where Tazuna could be held at or back at Kaiza's home with his family on guard for any more goons Gato could send their way. She didn't know what propelled her to bring Sasuke and Naruto their breakfast, but she was glad she came. Those idiots didn't even know that they had just encountered the Hunter Nin from before. "I don't know what your intentions are, but I don't like the thought of you being around those two imbeciles without anyone else around."

That person turns back to glance at Sakura then, some sort of understanding in those brown eyes. "You speak of them so fondly," Haku says. "They must be important to you if you are so willing to protect them."

"_Important_?" Sakura scoffs, her crossed arms unwinding themselves. "Don't give me that same _crap_ you told those two! Exactly what do you have to gain by fraternizing with us, Lady Hunter Nin? Or should I call you Zabuza's lackey, hm? It seems more appropriate. After all, you _did_ help him escape from certain death. How is he, by the way? Still recovering?"

"So, you've figured it all out." Haku is completely facing Sakura now, prepared for a battle if necessary. "And what will you do now that you know who I am? Will you fight me, little kunoichi?"

Sakura doesn't answer. Instead, she gazes at her two teammates who were still training, having climbed only halfway up the trees at most. It is a bad decision on her part because, should Haku attack her now, she is totally defenseless. "Fight?" she asks of Haku, still watching as Naruto falls onto his head and as Sasuke tries once again to master tree-walking. "What reason do I have right now to fight _you_?" Her head is turned around, glaring at Haku. "You're not here to pick a fight, nor are you here with ill intentions. And besides, the two most important people to me—the two _only_ important people to me—are gone, and those two morons are _nothing_ to me but teammates." But she finds herself feeling odd about those words. Naruto and Sasuke . . . they both are only teammates, aren't they? Even though they knew each other since their academy days, those two were nothing more to her. "Protect _those_ two? You have to be _joking_! Why would I do something as foolish as that when they haven't even proven themselves to be decent teammates?"

"Ah, now I see..." Haku is calm, much to Sakura's growing aggravation. "The world has hurt you too, hasn't it?" Haku gives her a sad smile when Sakura is taken back, most likely because a nerve has been hit. "And now you're afraid to open up to anyone else, lest you get hurt once again. You and I are similar creatures then. Both of us has lost those closest to us, fate has forsaken us both, and the path ahead of us is unclear and uncertain, but if you open up that cold heart of yours and let people in then you'll be able to find the strength to move on past tragedy and obtain your happiness."

Sakura narrows her eyes. "Just who do you think you are? Talking as if you _know_ me? You're no different from those who just look at me with pitiful eyes and never see past that. But fine, let's say we are the same. So _what_?" she asks. There is no scorn laced in her words, no mockery either. Sakura almost sounds amused. "Between the two of us, I'm the stronger one. After all, I'm not the one who hides behind men's clothing and masquerades as a boy. If you want to give me advice then stop pretending to be something you're not and find true strength by just being yourself. When you manage to do that then you can come find me and tell me once again how we're so alike. But until then, stay away from me and my teammates!"

And so, she walks away from the shocked woman and towards Naruto and Sasuke, the former catching sight of her and waving her down.

_Important people, huh?_ she thinks, a smile planting itself onto her face, as she tells her two teammates to take a break so that they can eat their breakfast. _Lady, you're wrong about me. These two and even our sensei are just imbeciles who need someone responsible to watch over them. They're not precious to me at all. They're just . . . responsibilities and burdens. They're nothing more than that._

"Oh, Sakura-chan?" Naruto, pausing in his meal, snaps her out of her daze. "Are you okay? You seem a little upset about something."

"_Tch_, she's probably just upset that that tomboy-crossdresser just now is a lot more prettier than she will ever be," Sasuke snorts.

Sakura's smile becomes crooked, almost taking on a malevolent aura. "Actually, that woman and I are a lot alike. We both have to deal with idiots on a daily basis."

"Yeah, Sasuke-teme! Sakura-chan is as pretty as—" It is at that moment that Naruto realizes he has agreed with _all_ of the kunoichi's words. "AW, SAKURA-_CHAN_! WE'RE NOT IDIOTS! WELL, SASUKE-TEME COULD BE AN IDIOT, BUT NOT _ME_!"

"Ha! Speak for yourself, Dobe. You're such an idiot that you've got the both of us mixed up."

"I AM _NOT _AN IDIOT, TEME!"

Sakura doesn't know when she started laughing. _These two... They really_ do_ need someone responsible to watch over them..._

_"How much more courage do I need  
To say with my head held high  
'This is the only important thing to me'?  
Though I have firm feelings,  
You see, I can't change them into words as usual"_


	10. Concern

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **Sasuke finds himself staring at the door Sakura had walked out of. He has a strange urge to check to make sure she's definitely there. And when the meeting is over, Sasuke has a hard time trying not to run to the kunoichi's room.  
**notes: **Okay, I didn't really get as many reviews on the last chapter as I had intially thought I would. None of you really care if I made Haku a girl? Wow, that's a lot different than from my other story where everyone's begging me to keep him as a guy, so thank you for being very . . . . um, I don't know the word for it, but I am grateful that you guys rally don't care if I made Haku a girl.  
**notes 2: **I don't really like this chapter...  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from ayumi hamasaki's _A song for xx _

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"I've been told that I'm strong  
I don't cry, __and they are proud of me"_

It is only two days later when Kaiza calls for an emergency meeting with his family and with Team 7. "I've gotten a note from Gato," he says, his hands folded in front of him. "I am to meet him on No-Name Bridge tomorrow. If I don't show up then he'll hang Tazuna from the railings."

"What would you like to do then?" Kakashi asks. For once, he refrains from his hotheadedness, analyzing the situation and any possibilities that could occur if different actions were to take place. "Like I've told you before, my team is at your disposal until your problem is solved. We'll do as you say we should. Do you want us here at your house to protect your wife and son or at the bridge with you negotiating?"

"Well, the note isn't very specific," Kaiza explains. "I believe Gato wants me to go alone but, since he didn't mention it, I'll bring your team along with me and—"

"Are you _crazy_?" Inari screams, standing from his seat and slamming his hands on the table. "Do you _want_ Gramps to _die_?"

"Inari, that's _enough_ out of you!" his mother scolds him for talking out of place. "How _dare_ you talk to your father like that! I know where you're coming from, but we have to see the bigger picture! It's not _just_ our family who will be affected by the outcome of this! It's our whole _country_! We can't afford to be selfish!"

"But, Mom! Gramps is _your_ Father!" Inari argues. "How can you—"

"Inari, your mother is correct." Sakura tells him, though she knows it isn't her place to be barging into their family's conversation. "You can't afford to be selfish. Your country is at stake. What more can you do but choose the country over your grandfather? Don't trouble your mother about this anymore. It's clear that she's already stressed enough about this without you yelling at her."

"Like _you're_ one to talk!" Inari yells at her. "Have you ever been in this sort of situation before? Has anyone _close_ to you ever been this close to _death_? I can see that you haven't by the way you take your teammates for granted! You don't _know_ how it feels to be this close to losing someone precious to you! How would _you_ feel if _your_ family was in this situation, huh?"

Sakura doesn't answer him, choosing only to look him in the eye. But Sasuke, who is sitting right next to her, can see her shaking fists clenching onto the hem of her dress.

"_See_?" Inari sneers at her. "You don't know _at all_ how I'm feeling, so you should just _shut up_! You only care about your mission! You don't care if my grandpa's going to die! You just want to finish this mission so that you can run home to your mommy and daddy!"

"_Inari_!" Both of his parents are reprimanding him now.

"How could you say something like that?" his mother asks, appalled by her son's behavior. "These shinobi have gotten your father home safely! How could you—"

"You're right, Inari," Sakura says, a false smile on her face—a smile because that has been and always will be how she will hide her pain. "I wouldn't know how you feel right now, and I never will. And do you know why? It's because my parents have already given up their lives for our village." It doesn't matter to her if Inari's eyes have widened because of guilt or because of regret for his words. She continues as if she doesn't notice. "You're lucky, you know that? You actually have the luxury of worrying for your grandfather's life while I, on the other hand, didn't even know I would never see my parents again."

"Sa . . . Sakura-chan..." Naruto doesn't know what to do when Sakura stands from her seat and excuses herself from the room.

"Inari," Kaiza says with his arms crossed. "I'm going to let your behavior slide this once because I know you're just concerned about your grandfather. However, if you _ever_ act that way to our guests again or ever say something like that to Sakura again, I'm going to give you a good talking to. You hear me?"

Throughout the rest of the meeting, Sasuke finds himself staring at the door Sakura had walked out of. He knows she only just retired to the room she's been using ever since they've arrived in the Land of Waves, but he has a strange urge to check to make sure she's definitely there. And when the meeting is over, Sasuke has a hard time trying not to run to the kunoichi's room.

"So what's the plan of attack?" Sakura asks him once the light from the hallway floods her room. She's laying on her futon, her back towards the door.

"We're going with Kaiza tomorrow at noon," Sasuke tells her, sitting down on the floor right next to her futon. "We're to take Tazuna to safety while Kakashi and Kaiza take care of Gato's goons."

She nods her head, surprised that it is Sasuke who has come to check on her. "Then you and Naruto have better get enough rest," she advises him. "You two have been training nonstop and have only finished today. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know, but Sakura . . . what Inari said, you don't have to worry about it," Sasuke says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I know you don't mean to seem like you're taking Naruto and me for granted. You're just going through a hard time because of your parents' deaths and because you had no one to help you through those tough times. I know it's hard for you to open yourself up to us because you're afraid of getting hurt like that again, but I want you to know that if you need a shoulder to cry on or just want someone to talk to then you have me here. And . . . Naruto too." He adds that last thought after much deliberation.

"I know," she tells him, taking a deep breath so as to hide her breaking voice. "I know..." It is only when he leaves her room that she lets the tears continue down her face. _I can't . . . I can't open up... I'll only end up getting hurt... And I can't risk that... I can't, not again..._

_"Trusting someone  
__Will only let me down  
And in the end,  
I'll be the one who is hurt"_


	11. Precious

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**dedication: **Special thanks to TheBloodyLoveOfSakuraHaruno and Amaterasruice and Katsumi Hatake for always reviewing probably all of my chapters so far. You three are one of a kind! Also to Wlkwos for reviewing this story! Thank you for putting up with my request of analyzing this story! Your review made my day!  
**summary: **Sakura doesn't understand why she's crying but, as she weeps on top of his body, she finds herself wishing. "Sasuke-kun, don't leave me!"  
**notes: **Hello, readers! Spoiler alert: your long wait for some SasuSaku fluff has come to an end! I believe this chapter will be very much to your liking, even though it isn't really heavy fluff. And I believe this will be the end of the Land of Waves arc. Sorry to those readers who wanted more appearances from Zabuza and Haku.  
**notes 2:** Lyrics from Namie Amuro's _Come_ (Loved _Inuyasha_ and this ending was one of the best anime endings of all time along with _Every Heart_ and _Dearest__,_ of course) but I added what I believe was missing in translation

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"If you're filled with sadness now,  
__You can lean on me  
As you cry"_

A shinobi must never show their emotions. A shinobi must never show their emotions.

It's like a mantra that repeats itself in Sakura's head, but still she cannot stop the tears from overflooding her vision. "Oy, Uchiha! You better not die, you hear me?" She's screaming, and she's yelling. "You can't die! You can't!" It's a demand and a wish. "Oy, Uchiha! Uchiha Sasuke!" But she gets no answer.

How is she supposed to return back to the village and face his family? How is she supposed to tell _Naruto_? The blonde is still fighting off Gato's goons and, even now with Kakashi's help along with Kaiza's and Zabuza's, it's still a never-ending task. And in all this distraction, she and Sasuke had been able to free Tazuna and had almost crossed the bridge back to the Land of Waves when, out of nowhere, one of Gato's lackeys appeared and attacked. He had been aiming at Sakura, and he would have killed her, too, but Sasuke had jumped in the way and taken the hit instead. Sakura had taken care of the man afterwards, but she had no idea why Sasuke was fading away. He hadn't even been hit in any of his vital points! Why was he _dying_?

"Don't you _dare_ die, Uchiha!" Sakura yells again, her hand holding his so tightly that it seemed as though she were afraid he would disappear if she didn't. "Don't forget that you still have to prove to me that you aren't a spoiled brat and that you can get anyone to like you! And you promised me that you'll always be there for me... You promised, so please . . ."

She feels someone's hand on her shoulder, most likely Tazuna's, but the gesture only makes her feel worse. She throws her head over Sasuke's unmoving body and wails.

"_Please_! Sasuke-kun! Please, don't leave me!"

As she cries, she doesn't understand her actions at all. She doesn't know why she feels so strongly about this. Sasuke isn't even all that important to her. Why is she crying this loudly? And for _him_?

And as she cries, she doesn't even realize that Sasuke's eyes have fluttered open.

"Please, Sasuke-kun! I'm begging you! Don't leave! Please!"

"How can I leave when you're on top of me?"

Her weeping comes to an abrupt halt when she hears his voice. "Sa . . . Sasuke?"

"Geez, for such a small thing, you're really _heavy_."

"You're . . . you're not _dead_?" Sakura's eyes are two times their regular size.

"_Dead_?" Sasuke asks, scoffing right afterwards. "Why would I be? That creep only succeeded in knocking me out for, like, five seconds. I'd be the laughing stock of the _whole Uchiha clan_ if he actually managed to kill me on my first mission outside of the village."

"But . . . but you weren't . . ."

"Oh, well, you were crying and all," Sasuke explains as he sits up, "So I thought that I'd go along with it for a while. I can't believe you actually added a _-kun_ to my name, let alone call me by my first name _twice_."

"So . . . so that means . . ." Sakura has never felt more like Ino than she does now, her face feeling as though it were burning. "You were . . . you were only _pretending _to be dead?"

"Well, duh!" Sasuke laughs. "And I can't believe _you_ of all people actually _fell_ for it!" He's laughing so hard that he doesn't even realize when Tazuna decides to take a few steps back and when Sakura cracks her knuckles.

All in all, the scariest person on the bridge that day hadn't been Gato or his goons nor was it Zabuza or Haku. No, the scariest person had been Haruno Sakura. And Sasuke had the proof beaten into him black and blue. _Literally_.

Uchiha Sasuke? Important? Phbt, as if! But better alive and beaten up than dead? Definitely. Well, at least, that's how Sakura saw it at the moment.

_"I realized that  
In this whole world  
You were the only precious person"_


	12. Brothers

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**dedication: **I forgot in my last chapter to thank the guest reviewer Shadows for reviewing many of my chapters too!  
**summary: **It almost touches Sakura's heart that Sasuke is so concerned about his brother, and it makes her wonder exactly why the little Uchiha is so worried.  
**notes: **I'm back, readers, from my little break! And you'll like this chapter a bit since there's a special guest!  
**notes 2: **I didn't like the beginning of this chapter. It doesn't really match the story in my opinion.  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from Utada Hikaru's _Sakura Drops_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"Whichever time it is,  
__I will keep on fighting  
Perhaps this is the great wonder of life"_

After the battle at No-Name Bridge, everything had begun to fall back into place. Gato was sent to prison for his deeds, and Tazuna was returned to his family. Meanwhile, Zabuza and Haku ended up becoming the new personnel manning the traffic of goods and people coming in and out of the Land of Waves.

Kaiza and his people had been so grateful to Kakashi and his team that they decided to rename the bridge. After all, No-Name Bridge was not a name they wanted their oh-so important bridge to be called throughout the rest of its usefulness. Kaiza had opted to name the bridge "Thank you, Team 7, for Getting Rid of Gato" or TYT7 for short. (It was safe to say that it hadn't been Kaiza who had originally named the bridge.) Tazuna had suggested "The Great Team 7 Bridge," though the name didn't bring with it a nice ring at all.

In the end, it was Sakura who had offered to let the bridge be called "The Great Naruto Bridge." Her reasoning: Naruto had done most of the work when it came to the _real_ battle (Sasuke could not complain about this since he was happy that Sakura was praising his best friend after so long of mocking him and because he was now _slightly_—actually, _very much_—afraid of Sakura's temper), and his father had been the favorite candidate who should have won the title of Fourth Hokage, so why not give Naruto something that could help him measure up to his father's great name? Plus, The Great Naruto Bridge sounded a bit better than The Great Team 7 Bridge, and it was shorter.

And thus, No-Name Bridge was christened The Great Naruto Bridge and, after the renaming ceremony, Team 7 bid farewell to their new friends and went on their merry way home. The trip home had been much quicker than the journey away, and there had been no problems or complications.

And when they reach the home, the team sees a very unexpected person there waiting for them.

"_Niisan_!" Sasuke runs up to the village's entrance the minute he catches sight of his older brother. "What are _you_ doing here for? You should be back at home resting!"

"Now, now, Sasuke," Kakashi says, "It's disrespectful to talk to your brother like that."

But Sasuke shrugs him off. "What would Mother and Father say if they saw you out and about like this?"

"There's nothing to worry about, Otoutou," Itachi says, ruffling his younger brother's hair. "I already asked our parents, and they agreed to allow me to greet you since I'm healthy enough to be out today." But once he finishes the sentence, he has a coughing fit.

"_See_?" Sasuke asks, the worry in his voice very much evident in his words. "You shouldn't be out! You've just gotten well enough to be out of _bed_! You shouldn't strain yourself like this!"

But Itachi only smiles and pokes his brother in the forehead. "Silly Otoutou, it was your first time out of the village. As your big brother, of course, I had to be here to greet you."

"_Aw_, you didn't have to do that, Itachi!" Naruto chuckles, throwing his hands behind his head. "I would bet all my ramen that you would have been the first person Sasuke would have gone to see the minute he stepped foot in the village!"

"_Exactly_!" Sasuke exclaims. "That's why you should go back home before you get sick again!"

"But, Otoutou, I wanted to treat you and your teammates to a nice meal," Itachi says. He seems very disappointed that he may not be given the chance to do so.

"It doesn't matter if you're risking your _health_!" Sasuke yells, almost exasperated-like as if talking to a child who wouldn't listen. "We could always order take-out and eat at home!"

"Sasuke," Sakura speaks up for the first time since the conversation had started. "Just let your brother do as he wants and let him take us out to eat."

"But you don't understand!" Sasuke argues. "He may be healthy today, but—"

"Exactly that," Sakura says, shutting the Uchiha up with her stern and firm voice. "Your brother is healthy today, so let him celebrate with us. Don't deny Itachi-san this chance."

Sasuke almost seems to want to say something, but he bites his bottom lip, stopping his words of argument. "Fine," he gives in. "But, Niisan! You have to tell me if you don't feel well, got it?"

"I understand, Otoutou," Itachi's smile grows. "Thank you, Haruno-san," he tells Sakura whose face is beginning to turn pink.

"It's nothing," she says, looking away. "I just didn't want to hear Sasuke whining anymore, that's all..."

"I WAS NOT _WHINING_!"

But Sasuke forgets about her little comment when he hears his older brother laughing, and he laughs along.

And as they make their way to the resturant of choice, it almost touches Sakura's heart that Sasuke is so concerned about his brother, and it makes her wonder exactly why the little Uchiha is so worried. Perhaps Itachi could easily get sick? Or is it something bigger than that?

No matter, she has all the time to figure that out. Right now, she has a celebratory lunch to enjoy and with her teammates.

_"I promise myself,  
Today will be the first Good Day  
Cherry trees swaying in the wind,  
My hand slowly reaches out towards you"_


	13. Regret

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **"The doctors said that I would only live for two more years but, of course, I proved them wrong. After all, I still need to find that baby I failed to save way back when..."  
**notes: **Sorry, readers, for my unexpected disappearance. I had summer work to do, and I'm still not done, so the updates for this story might be slower than before. I'm very sorry, readers, for making you guys wait so long for this chapter.  
**notes 2:** Also, about Itachi, he's going to be playing an important role in this story as he is a catalyst for, I guess, many of the events that may and will play out. (But you all probably know that already. :P) Also, remember what I said about Menma? Well, try and guess from this chapter what I have decided as his history.  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from ayumi hamasaki's _Moon_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"Hey, I'll give you a gentle song  
__So that you can believe in eternity forever  
So please keep on smiling__"_

Lunch goes off without a hitch, save—_of course_—for Sasuke's hawkeye (over)protectiveness of his older brother. The whole situation would have been hilarious, had Sasuke's overprotectiveness been for a trivial reason—a reason Sakura has yet to find out.

And after lunch, Kakashi suggests a little sparring session to get his team even closer together and to keep them in tip-top shape. Sakura almost rolls her eyes at his most likely paranoid suggestion. It isn't like they would get fat from eating expensive sushi, after all, but she silently complies with Kakashi's request, for Itachi also wants to see some action rather than to go home to lay in bed with nothing exciting to do or watch.

The group goes to the same training grounds as they used for the bell test, and Kakashi has them picking from straws who would go against whom. The sticks are unanimous: sensei vs kunoichi and rival vs rival.

Sakura's battle against Kakashi lasts for much longer than their battle during the bell test, for she now knows more of her sensei's fighting style. And she holds her own against Kakashi's 15% until he decides to turn it up a notch. Sakura loses, but Kakashi ruffles her hair, telling her that she has not wasted her youth and has improved since the last time which has her giving her sensei a small smile.

The next battle, Naruto against Sasuke, lasts for quite some time. They are much more similar than they would ever like to admit, and they are very much each other's equals. And so, it does not surprise their spectators that their battle goes on for a long while, and this while gives Sakura the chance to talk to Itachi in private.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, Uchiha-san—"

"Please," Itachi says, "Just call me Itachi."

"Oh . . . okay then, Itachi-san—"

"_Kun_," Itachi corrects. "You do not have to treat me so formally. You can just treat me as you treat my brother."

Sakura hopes her face has not turned pick from embarrassment. Oh, if only Itachi knew how Sakura had punched his younger brother black and blue just the other day then he would not be saying the same thing...

"I . . . Itachi-kun, why is Sasuke so . . . _protective_ of you?" she goes ahead and asks for lack of any better words. "I mean, you are much older than he is—that is, you're not _that_ old, I mean!—and it seems to me that you are just sickly—not that I don't think that it is not reason enough for Sasuke to act the way he does!—but it just seems that Sasuke is . . . _um_ . . ." Now Sakura knows her face _has_ to be bright red by now! Ino must have rubbed off on her. "You know, for . . . forget I ever asked." It is an awkward subject, she knows, but why did she stutter so much with it? _Some strong-willed kunoichi I turned out to be..._

"It's okay for you to ask about that, Haruno-san—"

"Sakura-chan." She finds herself wishing she had held her tongue. "Well, I mean, that's what Naruto calls me, and you just told me to call you Itachi-kun, so..."

"Well, _Sakura-chan_, it's not very well-known why I've taken a leave of absense from my ANBU and shinobi duties," Itachi tells her, very much amused with the girl sitting next to him.

"Oh, _really_?" Sakura asked. Now she wishes she had never asked in the first place. "I didn't mean to pry."

"It's okay. I've been meaning to tell this to someone other than my clan and some of my jounin friends." Itachi explains to her. "I wasn't born sickly. I was quite healthy, in fact, never getting sick much, not even with the common flu. That is, until my last mission."

The way his fists shake tells Sakura that Itachi either regrets ever taking the mission or has many scarring memories of that particular time.

"I was chasing after a rogue ninja who had kidnapped a newborn from the village," Itachi tells his story right from his memory. The mission is still very vivid in his head. "Now, keep in mind that this happened during the last Ninja War. If it had not been for the war then I would have been sent with a team, especially given whose baby I was tasked to retrieve."

Sakura doesn't understand why, when Itachi looks at the two battle participants, he looks so upset.

"I was very close to obtaining my directive until I fell into the rogue ninja's trap. He threw a vial at me, a vial filled with a kind of poison that should have killed me on spot. But right before the mission, I had been given a sort of a 'cure alls' antidote by one of the legendary Sannin herself and used it to break down some of the poison in my system. By the time I could stand once again, the kidnapper was long gone with the stolen infant. I had no choice but to return home, for the shinobi had entered enemy territory that I could not follow into. It wasn't until the medics checked me over that they realized the poison was still in my system, and it wasn't until the next day that they were able to extract most of the poison. But by that time, the poison had already weakened my immune system, and whatever poison was still left in my system had my white blood cells slowly attacking each other. Even Tsunade herself couldn't do much for me."

"So . . . what's going to happen to you?" Sakura asks, knowing that just being sickly wouldn't be the worst of Itachi's woes.

"The doctors said that I would only live for two more years," Itachi explained. "But of course, I proved them wrong. Besides, I refuse to die so quickly anyway. I have not finished what I wanted to do on this world yet. There are two important goals I need to accomplish. First of all, I still need to find that baby I failed to save way back when..."

And from that, Sakura knows Itachi never had scarring memories from that mission or had ill feelings about it. He just regrets never being able to carry out his mission and save the kidnapped newborn.

"What's your other goal?"

"That, now, is a secret." And he put a finger up to his closed lips to emphasize the fact. And when Sakura puffs out her cheeks in annoyance, he just chuckles. "I had fun talking to you, Sakura-chan."

And of course, Sakura finds herself turning red again at his comment. It is sad, what has happened to this kind soul, and she finds herself pitying his fate and understanding exactly why Sasuke is so overprotective of his brother.

And later, when the sparring session is over and the group goes their separate ways back to their individual homes, Sakura heads over to the library and right to the medical section.

_"It was so beautiful that I felt pain  
In my chest and was about to cry  
I closed my eyes and sweared  
'If this prayer comes true,  
I would need nothing and nothing else'"_


	14. Talent

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **She doesn't realize she's still holding her breath until she finally lets it out when the bird flaps both of its wings and flies around her room.  
**notes: **OH MY GOD! I FORGOT TO UPDATE MY FANFICTIONS! I'M SO SORRY, MY READERS! I'M SO SORRY! I ended up finding out some of my summer work was done wrong because the instructions had changed, and so I had to redo those _and_ finish the very little stuff I had left to do. I'm so sorry, readers! I promise, until school starts, I'll work harder on my fanfics! Forgive me!  
**notes 2:** Also, for anyone waiting for _Two Hearts and A Red Sin_, um, yeah . . . that one will not be out anytime soon because I caught writers' block on it. So yeah . . . sorry. I might make a short interlude, though, for it.  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from ayumi hamasaki's _A song is born_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"Surely, no one was hoping for_  
_Any of those terrible things_  
_Hold the flowers to your heart,_  
_And pray that they may someday bloom"_

Sakura had found a new love in the books she borrowed from the library. She had never known that the human body was so interesting. There were so many pressure points, so many weak points, so many of almost _anything_! Reading these books gave Sakura a new understanding of what she needed to improve on, not just as a now aspiring medic nin but as a shinobi in general. She improved her techniques to shield her weak points and to maneuver her pressure points away from the enemy.

Of course, taijutsu wasn't the only thing she worked on. She had also borrowed a book on medical jutsu written by the ledegendary Sannin Tsunade herself. Reading through it as quickly as possible but retaining every detail, Sakura had herself finding her true potential within the book's words. Her chakra control which was a much needed aspect to be a medic was perfect. She knew she had yet to find out what her elemental affinity was nor did she yet have the knowledge to modify jutsu, but being a medic nin was really the only thing she could imagine herself as.

And so, when a little bird had fallen out of its nest during one of Sasuke and Naruto's spar, Sakura had taken it under her care and nursed it back to health. However, one of its wing is broken, and that's the true test for Sakura today.

Today is the day that Sakura is going to try to mold her chakra into healing chakra to actually heal something. She had done it on herself numerous of times when she had gotten paper cuts from the books she borrowed, but never had she done it on a broken bone before.

Being nervous is an understatement, for Sakura does not want to risk hurting the bird anymore than it was already, but her determination forces her to try. And when the her chakra materializes out of her fingertips, out of her palms, she holds her breath. She has her chakra touching the bird's wing almost like a mist, and she holds it there for a long while until a full two minutes have passed. She doesn't realize she's still holding her breath until she finally lets it out when the bird flaps both of its wings and flies around her room.

"I never knew you knew medical jutsu."

If Sakura had been caught in a bad mood, she would have scolded her sensei for appearing out of nowhere but, since she was in the happiest of moods she could be in, she just ignored Kakashi's sudden appearance.

"Is there something you needed me for?" she asks him, the bird coming to rest on her shoulder.

"Well, let me just say congradulations," her sensei tells her, applauding her triumph. "You have successfully taught yourself the basics of medical jutsu. Not just anyone could do that. It will come in handy with what's coming."

Sakura almost turns as pink as her hair. "What do you mean by that? _What's_ coming?"

Kakashi only smiles underneath his mask. "Sakura, I have nominated you, Sasuke, and Naruto all to take the chunin exams this year."

_"Remember, just one more time_  
_How we were born crying into this world_  
_Your dreams and hopes for tomorrow_  
_Are all in this world"_


	15. Outsiders

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **"Ha! With words like that, I would assume you were Konoha's _royalty_ if I didn't know better. And as Konoha's _royalty_, I expect a lot more than bark from you, Haruno Sakura. I look _forward_ to the day I break in your face, _Princess_."  
**notes: **Hm . . . I'm thinking I _might_ put the rest of my stories on hiatus except for _Sakura DOROPPUSU_ since that's almost finished. I'm thinking that story should be finished before my birthday (April 24th) next year. P.S. I kinda don't like how this chapter turned out, but I think you guys will like this chapter since there are three new familiar faces here.  
**notes 2:** Also, you know how Obito is Tobi? Yeah... I kinda find it hard to believe. I mean, when Tobi attacks Minato and Kushina, he's so tall while Kakashi who is supposed to be the _same age_ as Obito is still kinda shorter than Minato. Also, why would he be mad about Kakashi having a sharingan eye when he was the one who gave it to Kakashi? Hm, I hope Rin has something to do with his messed up reasoning. (I was hoping Tobi would end up being Rin since there's not enough female villans in _Naruto_, but oh well...) Now I'm hoping, since Sakura kinda looks a lot like Rin, Obito will go beserk and kidnap her and then Sasuke would come and rescue Sakura but deny his feelings and end up in some kind of friendship/romance relationship with her. But that's just me going SasuSaku crazy.  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from NU'EST's _Face_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"If you look down on people, it's bitter_  
_There's nothing to see below_  
_There's no one_  
_Even if you jump, you're just a flea_  
_Even if you demand, you're just a spot in front of me"_

Being nominated to take the Chunin exams had Team 7 training even harder than ever before. With teamwork being stressed by Kakashi during the bell test and even after he had told them the news, Team 7 decided to work on that, coming up with some techniques to use as a team or, if they were ever separated (they prepared for this since Itachi and Minato had _accidently_ let it slip that the test would be a survival test in a dangerous setting), as a duo. Of course, they also practiced individually too, Sakura usually taking this time to read up more on medical jutsu and herbs in case the time arrived when she needed to know more instead of just bone- and skin- healing.

Meanwhile, as Team 7 prepared for the exams, their missions didn't stop. With news of their successful escort mission to the Land of Waves being wrongly categorized, the team was able to jump to C-ranked missions with the occasional but very rare B-ranked mission. But as genins, Team 7 wasn't just swamped with these missions but also the daily D-ranked ones too.

And that was the predicament that had gotten these three into their face-off today. Their D-ranked mission for the day had been to babysit Konohamaru, the Third Hokage's grandson. However, they had to find said trouble-maker before their mission would truly start—this task had been left to Sasuke and Naruto since the Third had an important matter he needed to speak to Sakura about—and they had found the boy and his friends being bullied.

"Naruto-niichan!" Konohamaru had cried once he saw the blonde. He and his friends ran over to him and Sasuke and hid behind the two.

"Oy!" Naruto yelled at the cruel female who had been terrorizing the three kids, "What kind of shinobi are you anyway? Picking on little kids like this? Shame on you!"

"Hoh," the blonde girl two years older than him seemed to find him amusing. "Then should I pick on you, genin who acts like a kid? Who says things like that anyway? What, you Mommy and Daddy's boy?"

"EXCUSE ME?" Naruto screamed, taking offense. "_WHAT_ DID YOU CALL ME?"

Sasuke could only _barely_ suppress the urge to rub his forehead. "Look, you're a pretty girl, and I don't want to hurt you," he said with a smile, "But you shouldn't be acting so mean. It's not correct for someone as beautiful as you to have a heart so cold. Let's restart everything and forget that any of this ever happened, okay? I'll start. Hello, I'm Uchiha Sasuke. Pleased to meet you."

The girl's smirk didn't go unnoticed. "And I'm Temari, your undertaker!" And she unfolded her large fan and was about to call up a tempest when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a kunai headed straight for her and jumped out of the way.

"Now I know I have to be nice to foreigners, but I would like it if you didn't attack my friends. Even as the Fourth Hokage's daughter, I don't think I could forgive you if you take away my job of bullying those two, foreigner shinobi or not." Sakura ignored Naruto's whispers to Sasuke, asking whether or not that was an insult, and Konohamaru's friends exclamation, calling her cool.

"You think you're all that?" Temari asked, cracking her knuckles. "You almost ruined my dress. I'll make sure you pay for that." But before she could lunge, her brothers came running then.

"Temari, there you are!" the first with weird colorings on his face said. "Are you _already_ causing trouble?"

"I apologize for my older sister," the second bowed his head to Sakura who took his gesture with a small bow of her head. "She can be rude at times, and her temper is terrible." He wanted to add more to the apology but couldn't think so anything. "Please forgive her."

"Gaara!" Temari yelled, almost grabbing her brother by his shirt collar, had it not been for Kankuro. "Stop butting into my business, you little _brat_!"

"Rude? And a terrible temper?" Sakura asked, ignoring Temari's outburst, her eyes narrowed. "You're the Kazekage's daughter," she stated to the blond female. "I remember meeting you once when my father brought me to Suna. I see you haven't changed at all. Still the spoiled bossypants, I see." She wanted to say another word but changed her mind, for there were children around. And so, before Temari could anger her even more, she turned to the girl's brothers. "And I believe you two are Kankuro and Gaara, if my memory's correct. It's nice to see you again."

"You know them, Sakura?" Sasuke asked her.

"The two boys? Yes. They were . . . my friends while my dad made some treaty negotiations in Suna. Her, on the other hand? Sadly, yes, but I stayed clear of her whenever I could," the pinkette answered, sighing. "Are Konohamaru and his friends alright?"

"Yeah, just shaken a bit."

Sakura nodded her head as she took in this new information before speaking to the Sand Siblings again. "Since it's been a long while that we've seen each other and as a courtesy to your father, the Kazekage, I'll accept your apology, and I won't report this to the Third Hokage. Just make sure your sister doesn't get out of hand again. If she hurts any of Konoha's citizens, I won't let the matter go as easily as this."

"How dare you talk to my brothers like that!" Temari snarled. She looked almost feral.

"I don't think you have a right to say that when you _clearly_ don't treat your brothers any better," Sakura snapped. "Remember, Temari, you are the Kazekage's daughter, but you're not in Suna anymore. This is Konoha, so I suggest you be careful unless you want to lose the treaty your father had so carefully made with us."

"How dare you speak to me like that..." Temari scoffed. She looked as if she would attack Sakura but changed her mind. "Fine, I'll listen to you since you're the Fourth Hokage's daughter. For now. But with words like that, I would assume you were Konoha's _royalty_ if I didn't know better. And as Konoha's _royalty_, I expect a lot more than bark from you, Haruno Sakura." Temari said her name with such contempt that had even Naruto and Sasuke worried about what their teammate had gotten into. "I look _forward_ to the day I break in your face, _Princess_."

_"This is a story about a dwarf and giant  
But it's gonna end just like David and Goliath  
Keep up with my pace, if you can"_


	16. Stuffy

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **If Sakura remembered correctly, their bet had been for Sasuke to make _her_ like _him_, so why did it feel as though the complete opposite had happened?  
**notes: **Sorry! Couldn't update because of all the work from AP Bio! My teacher's such an a-hole! He's keeping everyone on their toes, so I had to study every single night! Sorry, but the updates for this and _Sakura DOROPPUSU_ probably won't be as often or as quick as all of you and I would like. This is, like, my first update in two weeks. Can you believe it? But hooray! I updated, whoo!  
**notes 2:** WARNING: This chapter is too short! I don't really like this chapter story-wise but, plot-wise, it's gives you guys a bit more insight as to what the world in this RTN fanfic is going to be like. Remember, even though it's my take on _Road to Ninja_, this world is still going to build up to the world in the movie somewhat, so *hint-hint* Tsunade may be elsewhere _now_ but later on... Well, you'll see.  
**notes 3:** Also, with all my slow updating, I probably won't update again for a while but, if reviews do shoot up to 100, I'll probably get a jump start on the next chapter.  
**notes 3:** Lyrics from SNSD's _G__irl's Generation_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"Don't make fun of me  
Because I'm young  
__It's just words that pass by"_

Sakura found herself regretting her confrontation with Temari very much during the next few days leading up to and the day of the Chunin exams. Of course, her regret was actually misplaced since she only regreted having the confrontation _in front_ of her two teammates because, when the team did meet up with foreign shinobi again, her two boys _hovered_ over her in the most annoying of ways—and this happened _a lot_ because the Third Hokage had appointed Sakura as a sort of diplomat to the shinobi far from their homes. Oh, how _slowly_ those meetings went by, especially with her two teammates breathing down her neck and watching whoever she spoke to with hawkeyes.

And then, the Chunin exams came, and Sakura had been ecstatic about the prospect of having her own breathing space back. Oh, how _wrong_ she had been. When Team 7 had come within a _mile _of the building where the first part of the exams would take place, Naruto and Sasuke seemed to have forgotten the fact that Sakura was a kunoichi and could take care of herself, and they decided to _never_ let her out of their sights on fear that the Suna kunoichi would fulfill her threat that very day.

It was _horrid_ for Sakura, and she almost wished she hadn't stood up to Temari, but a light came shining her way when Naruto had spotted a foreign team that he knew. It had been a team from the newly formed village Oto under the rule of the legendary Sannin Tsunade for refugees, and the team's kunoichi was none other than Uzumaki Karin whom Sakura had met a couple of times before. In fact, the two kunoichi had became friends the few times Karin visited the village, and it wasn't surprising given the fact that Karin was exactly as shy and as meek as Ino. It was ironic that her team was almost a parallel to the Yamanaka's as well, only with someone almost as violent as Temari and someone who was a total pacifist.

But while Sakura knew she was cleared from Naruto's protectiveness, she wasn't free from Sasuke's watchful eye even when he flirted with Karin. At times, when Sakura caught him on his self-given task, she couldn't fight off the urge to roll her eyes. If she remembered correctly, their bet had been for Sasuke to make _her_ like _him_, so why did it feel as though the complete opposite had happened?

In addition to Naruto's little family reunion, all the teams from Team 7's graduating academy class were all there too _including_ Hyuuga Hinata.

_Oh, great..._ Sakura found herself grimaning the minute her eyes found her long ago childhood friend. _And just when I thought my only trouble would be Temari... This is just _swell_... I've got_ two _kunoichi here that want to kill me. Hm, can this day get any _better_?_

_"I couldn't say anything  
Because I was so shocked  
While I was thinking whether  
I should get mad or laugh"_


	17. Trouble

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **When Team 7 wasn't looking for trouble, trouble came to them in the forms of green spandex, ear pinching, and a Hyuuga with a bra.  
**notes: **Whoo! I got to update a bit quicker this time, yay! But the next may not be up so soon. Anywho, I calculated the average amount of reviews I got on this story, and this story gets 5.9375 reviews per chapter. Now, it may not seem like much, but I'm happy that the average isn't under 5 and it's _very _close to 6. However, it does _not_ mean I don't want reviews! I want them to see what I can improve on and to see you guys' opinions, so please REVIEW! But without ado, here's the chapter. And yay, it's a bit longer than the rest of the chapters.  
**notes 2:** Lyrics from ayumi hamasaki's _Beautiful Fighters_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"I wonder  
About what time I noticed  
That a fairy tale is no more than a fairy tale  
And regrettably, everyone knows  
That there is a rather surreal ending"_

"Now, the Chunin exam isn't some game. It's something you have to take seriously. No matter how youthful you all are, you shouldn't go looking for trouble."

Sakura remembers Kakashi telling her and her teammates _something _along those lines—though, she's sure he used the word youthful a bit more than once. And technically, they didn't go _looking_ for trouble. Nope, even fate could side with them on this because _trouble_ had come looking for _them_ in the form of a green spandex-wearing pervert.

"Hey, sexy mama," the freak had come out of nowhere, eyeing the pink-haired kunoichi with almost hungry eyes, _trying_ to be cool. "How about a kiss, hm?"

Oh, yeah, even _Sasuke_ was cooler than this dude, and if Sakura was thinking this then this guy must have been desperately pathetic in her book. But before Sakura had the chance to tell him off, her (still overprotective) teammate had come to the rescue.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke had started, his tone a bit _too _polite for Sakura's liking. Exactly what was he planning to do? "Were you speaking to my teammate? If you were then you must be very confused. She's not sexy in the _slightest_."

Sakura had felt her eyebrow twitching. _Just leave it to the Uchiha to insult me while defending me..._

"Plus, you should know that Sakura's _way_ out of your league," he continued, his message clear. "What kind of self-respecting girl would even be caught _dead_ seen with you, bushy-brows?"

But the pervert seemed to not have heard much of what Sasuke had said. "Oh, so Sakura's your name, fair maiden?" he asked of the kunoichi. "Well then, Sakura-chan, since I know your name, you shall know mine! It is Rock Lee, and I wish to be your lover!"

_In your wildest dreams!_ Both Sakura and Sasuke had found another something they could agree upon as the former choked on air and as the latter was itching to crack his knuckles.

"Come!" Lee exclaimed, his arms outstretched. "Into my arms! And away from that ghastly fellow you call a teammate! Come, I shall save you from this fire-breathing beast!"

The only reason why Sakura hadn't laughed at Lee's moniker for Sasuke was because she didn't want Lee to think she was humoring him.

"_What_ did you call me?" Veins bulged all over Sasuke's forehead.

"Come with me, Sakura-chan!" Again, Lee ignored the Uchiha. "I shall treasure you much more than this tasteless and saucy boy _ever_ will!" And he began to blow kisses at the rosette.

If those kisses had been bubbles, Sasuke would have popped—and maybe even stomped on and burnt—all of them. "You must have brain damage, you _weirdo_. Stop doing unproductive things and just _give__ up _already. Sakura's not going with you."

The face Lee had on almost seemed as though he was going to start a fight but what he did, or rather said, had both Sakura and Sasuke on guard either way. "Oh, I get it. You two are together."

Both Uchiha and Haruno choked on air. _What the Hell?_

"Well, it doesn't matter!" Lee almost screamed to the world. "I will make Sakura-chan mine, and there's nothing you can do about it, you fiery beast!"

"I think you have it all wrong," Sasuke almost growled. If it wasn't against the exam rules to hit another competitor, Lee would already been in the hospital! "First of all, stop calling me a beast. My name's Uchiha Sasuke. And secondly, _you're_ the beast here!"

"Nevertheless, you are my rival now!" Lee said, his eyes burning with a passion. "And I will obtain this fair maiden's love and sweep her off her feet!"

"I swear, if you become this guy's girlfriend or something," Sasuke said to Sakura once Lee went off in a rant, "I'm disowning you as a teammate."

And Sakura actually had no problem with that. She would be out of her mind if she ever became Lee's girlfriend. Just the thought of that had goosebumps running up and down the kunoichi's skin, and Sakura _still_ had goosebumps even _after _Lee had left. Oddly enough, because of this, as Naruto will later observe, Sakura stayed very close to Sasuke, probably out of fear of Lee coming back to "sweep her off her feet", as he had so boldly put it.

The proud kunoichi even jumped when someone had sneaked up behind her and grabbed her arm.

"_Ino_!" Sakura's fear was completely forgotten when she caught sight of her best friend. Even Sasuke had let down his guard when he saw the shy girl. "You're here too?" Sakura looked around for the rest of Team 10. "Where are your teammates?"

"I . . . I can't find them," the blonde said.

"Yeah, right, it's probably more like you got away from their bickering," Sakura scoffed. She hadn't expected Team 10 to make it into the exams, but she didn't voice her opinion. Perhaps this Team 10 will outdo their parents'.

"Don't . . . don't tell them that," Ino pleaded. She didn't want Shikamaru or Choji yelling at her. "Oh, and . . . someone's been asking about you."

"Oh?" The image of the coconut head came back to haunt the Hokage's daughter. "Wh . . . _who_?"

"That would be me," a man with glasses came up to the two then. "Hello, I'm Yakushi Kabuto."

"The adopted son of the Sanin Orochimaru?" Sakura asked, her eyes wide in shock. "Why would you be looking for _me_?"

"Well, I wasn't _exactly_ looking for you," Kabuto explained, "More like looking to give advice to the rookies. There's quite a bunch of you this year. Nine of you, to be exact: Team 7, Team 8, and Team 10."

"_Really_?" Sasuke questioned, his arms crossed. "Then . . . what about that—what's his name?—Rock Lee?"

At this, Kabuto laughed. "Well, I can see why you would think he's a rookie. He technically is, but his sensei held back his team last year, so this year is his first time taking the exams."

"Is it?" Sakura asked, feigning interest. "But never mind him, you said you had advice for us _'rookies'_?" She wondered if she should just walk away, instead of humoring the silver-haired boy.

"Yes," Kabuto answered, pushing up his glasses. "For one thing, I would suggest that you don't cause a scene. Some shinobi here are especially tough and mean. They'll use any excuse to just beat you up."

Sakura's mind immediately went to Temari of Suna.

"Why should we listen to _you_?" Sasuke asked, and Sakura thought along those lines as well.

"I can understand why you are hostile to me since it's hard to trust anyone but your teammates here, but my team and I had passed the exams on our first try, so I would hope you take whatever I say to heart," Kabuto explained.

"You hear that, Sakura-chan?" Ino asked, "He and his team _passed_! And on their _first_ try!"

"Then why are you here?" Sakura inquired of the boy, ignoring Ino's insistence. "I find it hard to believe you're just here to give us advice."

"Well, I like to gather information on the various ninja that come into the exams," Kabuto answered with a smile. "I take the new information I get and apply it to my medical jutsu, in order to prepare for any injuries a Konoha shinobi could get from an encounter with enemy shinobi."

At the words "medical jutsu," Sakura's ears perked up. _Hm, perhaps this guy can help me..._ "You say you gather info?" she pushed further. "What can you tell me about Temari of Suna?"

"Ah, that's right. You and her have a vendetta against each other, isn't that right?"

"News travels fast," Sakura opted to say with a shrug of her shoulders, ignoring Ino who asked, "Someone's out to get you? Call the ANBU!"

"Indeed, it does," Kabuto replied, "And it just so happens that this Temari is infamous for her violence and cruelty. In fact, on every one of her missions, none of her opponents or enemies have made it out alive."

The pink-haired kunoichi just closed her eyes and sighed. It wasn't that she was scared. No, the problem was that she could _feel_ Sasuke's overprotectiveness and Ino's worry radiating off of them like the sunlight from the sun on the hottest of summer days.

"Kabuto, _there_ you are!" a rough female voice rose from the entrance. "Exactly _what_ are you doing here when you _know_ you're not allowed to be here?"

"Oh, Anko," the mentioned boy just scratched his head in fake innocence. "I got lost and—"

"Oh, don't you give _me_ that, Yakushi Kabuto!" Anko grabbed his ear and pulled. _Hard_. "Do you think you can just _lie_ to your _girlfriend_ and get away like that, _HM_? Come on, let's go! Oro-sensei is waiting!"

"Okay, okay! _Ow_! Anko, that _hurts_!" the boy yelped in pain. "It was nice meeting you, Sakura and Sasuke!"

"How did he know our names without us giving them to him?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing.

"He likes to gather information, _remember_?" Sakura reminded him. "It's no surprise that he would know about the second heir to the Uchiha clan and the Fourth Hokage's daughter."

"Sasuke-teme! Sakura-chan!" Naruto appeared, running quickly towards his teammates and almost pushing Ino aside as he cowered behind the three.

"What the Hell did you do, dobe?" Sasuke asked in annoyance as he and Sakura held Ino from falling flat onto her face. "I'm not helping you if you're in trouble again!"

"I _swear_, I didn't do anything wrong! Sakura-chan, you _have_ to believe me! I met up with—"

"Well, I have to say that that was very _low_ of you, Haruno."

Sakura tensed at the familiar voice as Naruto made an "Eep!" sound.

"I never would have thought you would _cheat_ before a big battle."

"Go away, Hyuuga," Sasuke said, not just for Naruto's sake. "You're—"

But the cherry blossom put a hand up to silence him, and she put on a smile. "It's not _cheating_, Hyuuga. It's called _smarts_. Besides, who would be _stupid_ enough to go _blindly_ into a battle without even knowing what they're going up against? It'd be suicide, wouldn't you agree?"

"Heh, smarts..." Hinata scoffed, putting her arms on her hips. "You wouldn't know smarts if it bit you in the butt and carved out your heart."

"Hinata-chan, please..." Ino pleaded, her voice almost too quiet to hear. "We're all friends here..."

"Funny," Sakura retorted, mimicking Hinata's movements. Both girls barely even listened to Ino. "I was going to say the same about you."

"_Oh_? What's this?" the Hyuga heiress asked. "You've got bark now?" She chuckled. "If I recalled, you were still _crying_ over your parents' deaths. What happened? Got bored of snivelling, Billboard Brow?"

"Better familial piety for my parents than your _obsessive_ love for Naruto, Hyuuga Princess," Sakura said as she watched Hinata blow a kiss at Naruto and watched as Naruto ducked behind Sasuke. "Oh, wait a minute, that's Hanabi's title. _You're_ just the spoiled _brat_!"

"Are you trying to _start_ something, Forehead?" Hinata snarled.

"I'm not doing anything but defending myself against _you_!" Sakura shot back. "If anyone's starting anything then that would be you, Flashy Bimbo. I mean, who else would go flashing their bras and underdeveloped boobs to the whole world?"

It was safe to say that Sasuke, Naruto, and Ino all were agape. When had Sakura ever lost her cool like this and disregard any advice given to her? Did she even realize that she was causing a scene, just as Kabuto had advised her _not_ to do?

"You know, I _hope_ Temari doesn't beat you up too badly." Hinata said, her pretend concern not at all convincing. "After all, I call dibs on your _pretty_ little face."

"Yeah, _after_ I beat the snot out of your _huge_ snobby nose!"

By this time, everyone in the room had gathered to see if a cat fight would ensue but, by this time as well, Sakura and Hinata went their separate ways, with the latter waving seductively at her crush. And when both girls realized they were being watched, they screamed, "WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU LOOKING AT? _SCRAM_!"

It would appear that Kabuto's advice was not needed, after all. There was no one that came close to being as frightening as those two kunoichi. In reality, it was Sakura and Hinata who were the worst people in the room to have on _anyone's_ tail.

"Teme, I think I just peed myself."

_"To be honest,_  
_There are some terrible days_  
_But the girls who live_  
_Without stopping nor giving up are_  
_Beautiful Fighters"_


	18. Mistake

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **She would never make the mistake of fighting with a teammate ever again. Teamwork is far too important for their survival, expecially during this test.  
**notes: **So very sorry for the long absence! I haven't updated since September 24th, so I'm really sorry! Things came up and then Hurricane Sandy and power was out, but now things are looking a bit brighter. I have no school for this whole week thanks to the hurricane, so I'm hoping to get some fanfic work done. However, this is probably the only update for this story this week since I want to get _Sakura DOROPPUSU_ updated. That story is very close to finishing, and so I really want to finish that before anything else. Thank you for staying with me for so long and being patient!  
**notes 2:** This chapter wasn't in my original notes for this story. Nope. When I thought things through, I thought that perhaps this story needed something more to help it transcend into its Shippuden arc later on. Plus, I forgot about the necklace Sakura's father gave her in chapter 1, so I'm trying to make up for that in here. And also, you guys need to pay attention to this chapter once the darker parts of the Shippuden arc happens because this is also a big catalyst for some of the events.  
**notes 3:** I'm proud to say that this story has an average of 6.3529 reviews per chapter (not counting this chapter). I met my goal for the last chapter. This time I want to reach up to 7 reviews per chapter. I hope you all will review, and reviewing does remind me to update fanfics because, when the review email alert comes, I try to update for you guys.  
**notes 4:** Lyrics from KOTOKO's _We Survive_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"Crying happy tears,  
This wind leading me on has  
A gentle smell and a warmth I've gotten used to  
Now, in this bounded world, up to the horizon  
What will I discover  
with these eyes that hide my emotions?"_

Her eyes don't adjust to the dim light of the Forest of Death until a few minutes after she has woken from her sleep. Her body is stiff, and she knows she has been asleep for longer than just a few mere hours. She tries to sit up but, as she does so, a sharp pain in her chest almost stops her actions. The rag that had sat on her forehead falls onto her lap and, when she picks up, she realizes it is still wet.

Sakura allows herself to smile a bit when she sees Sasuke sleeping in a sitting position, his hand holding a kunai tightly. She may have been dulled a bit by the fever that had plagued her, but her ninja senses tell her that he's been setting traps for any enemy shinobi that might come and hurt them. Her smile falls, and her eyes begin to water when she sees his usually clean and unscathed skin dirty and scratched up. She blames the slight moment of weakness on her fever, but she takes the wet rag and begins to wipe the dirt off of her teammate's hands.

Within a blink of an eye, his free hand grabs her arm, pulling her close to him, and his kunai is posed right behind her neck, just mere inches away from piercing her skin. When he is fully alert and awaken, his eyes widen, and his kunai drops. In even less time than it took for him to intercept her, his arms are around her, hugging her to him as tightly as he could, almost as if he's afraid that she would disappear if he did not do so, and mutters a soft apology.

Sakura doesn't say a word, and silence fills the air. She doesn't push him away either, and it is he who stops the short physical interaction between them.

"You and Naruto have been sleeping for a full day already," he tells her, not looking at her, his eyes dashing back and forth checking to see if any of the traps he laid had been sprung yet. "Well, a full day at least to my calculations. Don't have a clock or anything to tell time, you know." It is a poor attempt at a joke, but nevertheless he tries.

"A . . . a full _day_?" Sakura asks, glancing at the boy who she didn't realize had been sleeping next to her. She feels guilty that her first thoughts had not been of worry for Naruto but of worry for Sasuke.

The memories come back to her slowly but surely. Team 7 had had no problems with the written portion of the test, though Naruto did almost flunk the whole thing. It was the survival test that proved a tad bit . . . err, strenuous. Both she and Sasuke had gotten into numerous of fights with Naruto as the peacemaker. Sakura had lost count of how many fights they had gotten into, but she knew it was because of their last fight that had them where they are now. If they hadn't had fought then perhaps they would have noticed that they had been shadowed by someone. If they hadn't had fought then perhaps they wouldn't have been separated. And if they hadn't had fought then perhaps that masked man would not have easily defeated and harmed them and then Naruto wouldn't have needed to come to their rescue.

Sakura wants to say sorry, but she finds herself unable to. It isn't out of pride that she can't but out of immense guilt. Instead, she just holds Naruto's hand. Her small frame trembles, but she doesn't cry. No, she has to stay strong because that was what Naruto would want. He didn't save her from that masked stranger just so she could cry afterwards. No, Sakura would not cry because she learned from this experience. She would never make the mistake of fighting with a teammate ever again. Teamwork is far too important for their survival, expecially during this test.

"You should . . . get some rest," she tells the Uchiha. Her voice is weak, and she curses the purple miasma that had been thrown at her during the battle for weakening her body.

"No, I need to check on the traps," Sasuke says to her before he stands from his seat. "And since you're awake, I'll try to find something for us to eat. If anyone comes, don't move from this tree trunk. I've positioned our location so that no one can see us from any angle, I put a genjutsu around this place, too, and all the traps I made will make it harder for anyone to get to you. There's also a back exit I made just in case we're compromised. If anything happens, don't wait for me. Take Naruto and _run_. I'll catch up when I can." Sasuke waits for her nod before running off.

As she watches him walk away from them, she can't help it but have a sinking feeling in her gut. She's worried—so, so, _so_ worried that she can't even stand it. She doesn't understand why, but she just wants her team to stay together right now. She glances again at Naruto's unmoving body, calming down with each breath they both take. Her heart's beating so loudly, so quickly, that it's hard for her to stay in rhythm with Naruto's steady beathing.

The only thing she can do is she hold on tightly to the red cherry blossom charm her father had left behind for her and pray that this test would not be the end of them. She has never felt this scared since the invasion that took away her parents.

"_Crying dreamy tears,_  
_That would be so childish and immature of me _  
_So let's flood this spontaneous empty space_  
_With some talking _  
_In this plastic world,_  
_The sun draws a perfect circle_"


	19. Thread

**title: **Road to Sakura**  
****pairing: **possible eventual SasuSaku.  
**summary: **The memory of her promising Ino not to fight Hinata after their academy days distinctly dances in her mind, but it looks as though she won't be able to keep that promise, after all. She will be settling this old score once and for all.  
**notes: **Again, sorry for the slow update. Too much school work. Well, at least, this time, the wait was a bit over one month. But, hey, did you guys not like the last chapter? I didn't really get a lot of reviews on it, so I wouldn't know.  
**notes 2:** RIP Neji! Did anyone else almost cry when they saw last week's chapter? I know my sister did, but that's only because now there's no chance for NejiHina or NejiTen. Or how about the chapter from two weeks ago? Poor Shikamaru and Ino! Their fathers are dead! Poor them!  
**notes 3:** lyrics from alan's _Diamond_ from the anime _Inuyasha: The Final Act_

°∴✿° ·°✿∴° .·°∴°·. °∴✿°· °✿∴°

Road to Sakura

_"Diamonds overflow_  
_As they slide down my cheeks,_  
_They glitter_  
_No matter what sadness I endure,_  
_I pray for the strength_  
_To not get hurt_"

If her grip had been any tighter, the railings would have snapped and broke. Why didn't Ino listen to her? What the Hell was going through her head? Sakura doesn't understand what going through with this battle means to Ino. Is this Ino's way of trying to _protect_ her? Sakura almost scoffs at the idea. Even in their childhood, it had been _Sakura_ who had protected _Ino_ from bullies. And even now, Sakura still has the same urge to help her friend.

"Ino-chan..." She bites her bottom lip as Temari scores another punch to the blonde's gut. Oh, why didn't Ino take her advice and forfeit the battle in the first place?

A hand rests on her shoulder. "You knew a day like this was going to come, regardless," Sasuke tells her. "You aren't always going to be able to protect her, and you won't always be there for her."

"I know, but still . . . this battle hurts me just as much as it hurts her..." Sakura curses at the way her voice sounds as though it's breaking with each bone Temari breaks in Ino's body. "This battle is not going to be the same as your battle with that pervert Neji or Naruto's battle with Shino. At the very least, your opponents weren't trying to kill you two!"

She stares across to where Hinata stands with her own teammates and watches as the Hyuga curls a strand of her hair with her finger. If Sakura hadn't been friends with Hinata once then she would have thought the heiress didn't care about the blonde anymore as she claimed time and time again. But because Sakura knows Hinata better than most people, she knows that Hinata is only trying to hide her tall-tale sign of worry. She knows that Hinata is only pretending to play with her hair and that the Hyuga heiress is really pulling at it. And just like that, Sakura knows this battle touches Hinata as much as it touches her and, for that, Sakura is grateful. At least, she knows she isn't alone on this matter.

The end of the battle comes quickly and, for that, Sakura _almost_ lets out a sigh of relief. However, how it ends has Sakura letting out a few tears. Temari had used her iron fan to strike Ino right in the gut and probably even hitting the girl's spine, from the way Ino had fallen onto the ground right afterwards.

Sakura cannot control herself anymore and jumps in the arena below. "Ino!" She runs to her friend's side, wondering why the girl isn't reacting to her screams. "Ino, don't do this to me! _Ino_! Wake up and look at me! _Ino_!"

The medics come right afterwards, prying the pinkette's hands off of the unconscious girl. "She needs intensive medical care, Haruno-san," one tells her. "We're not sure how bad her injuries are"—_that's a lie_, Sakura thinks because she can hear another medic saying that one of Ino's lungs have collapsed—"but we'll send a messenger to you when we've stabilized her."

Sakura can barely watch as they carry away her friend on a stretcher. This is the first time that Ino doesn't wave goodbye to her as she leaves her, and that doesn't sit well with Sakura. She stares back up at where Hinata is and finds the Hyuga's watery eyes also watching the medical entourage spirit away the Yamanaka.

"_Tch_, what is with you Konoha shinobi?" Temari retorts. "A kunoichi like that can barely survive out in the real world. If she dies then I just put her out of her misery."

"Don't you _dare_ say that about her!" Sakura shoots back. "At the very least, she has more courage than you! What do _you_ do besides hide behind a killer's reputation and use that to scare away your opponents? It's a good tactic, I'll admit, and not many people here would challenge you once they know of how many times you've killed, but Ino . . . Ino _knew_ about you, and yet she still had the guts to face you, so don't you dare mark her off as just a flimsy girl. She faced you like a true kunoichi, don't you forget that!"

"Ha! As if I'd listen to a crybaby like you! Talk to me _after_ you've beaten your opponent," Temari says as she turns to walk back to her brothers but turns back as if she's forgotten something. "That is, if you can even make it pass this first round. I have my money on the Hyuga heiress."

Her last sentence throws Sakura off balance for a moment, the cherry blossom wondering what the Suna kunoichi meant, until she realizes the screen has already chosen the participants of the next battle. And the names on the screen has Sakura widening her eyes.

**Haruno Sakura vs. Hyuga Hinata**

The memory of her promising Ino not to fight Hinata after their academy days distinctly dances in her mind, but it looks as though she won't be able to keep that promise, after all. She will be settling this old score once and for all.

"_The diamonds don't stop flowing_  
_Painful colors spill out of the starry sky_  
_Even if I never see you again,_  
_I have to face forward and move on now_"


End file.
